New roadway could solve issues with proposed Sherwood Meadows Apartments

Thursday October 17, 2013 | By:Jessie Owen, The Sun editor |

HAMBURG — Residents of the neighborhoods surrounding the proposed Sherwood Meadows Apartments in Hamburg received news they had been seeking for the past several months, at the Hamburg Planning Board’s Oct. 16 meeting.

During a previous gathering, in which the board had ordered a positive declaration to be written, Sean Hopkins of Hopkins & Sorgi, PLLC, representing the developer, had asked permission to pursue a supplemental traffic study to see if issues the community has brought up could be resolved.

Board members had previously joined Hamburg residents in expressing worry about the higher volume of vehicles that would be traversing through the residential neighborhoods near the proposed apartment complex, which will be located east of Heatherwood Drive.

On Oct. 16, Hopkins told the board that the developer had taken the board’s admonition and had studied not just the seven intersections noted by citizens and being problematic, but expanded that number to 10 nearby interchanges.

“That impact study said that the level of service at each intersection will be A: the highest level of service,” he said. “The local traffic safety board said that the project will have no adverse effect on the roadway system.”

Hopkins sited longtime requests from local individuals to provide a second means of access to the Sherwood Meadows Apartments, so drivers coming from the complex could avoid traversing through the nearby neighborhoods.

“I am happy to tell you that, as of today, we have a contract in place to purchase a portion of the Hopevale property to provide a second mans of vehicular access into the site,” Hopkins said. “We just received a copy of the contract, fresh off the press.”

The developer asked that the board table the item to give him the opportunity to show a concept plan that would include the second road to the apartment complex.

While Hopkins said that it would mot make sense to close the access to the exiting public road, he added that the developer’s intent is to make the new roadway the primary source of access into Sherwood Meadows. “It would provide clear access to Howard Road,” he added. “It will be the most direct route.”

Board Member Sasha Yerkovich, who took over as leader of the proceedings in Chairman Peter Reszka’s recusal, commended the developer and said that “it’s a good start.”

Planning Consultant Andrew Reilly reminded the board that the public had been asking for this second point of egress for the better part of a year, and that going through the section of the former Hopevale campus would be the only alternate route. He said that land to both the north and east of the project is designated parkland and wetland and cannot be developed.

The board voted to table the project, to give the developers time to present a plan that includes the proposed new roadway.